Special Education Needs (SEN)

The Inclusion Team supports students who will benefit from additional support for their learning. This includes students who have an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP), specific learning needs, are on the additional needs register (ANR) or who may be vulnerable to underachievement.

The Inclusion Team is based in the Student Centre and are led by the Director of Inclusion and the Assistant Director of Inclusion. We have a very experienced team of Learning Support Assistants (LSAs), Lead LSAs and Aspire Mentors at St Mary’s who provide support in the Student Centre, in classrooms and with school activities including fieldwork and offsite visits.

There is a wide range of strategies that are used at St Mary’s to support students who have learning needs. The School is proud of its inclusion agenda and the success that staff achieve when working with students who have challenges with their learning. A copy of the Schools Information Report (SIR) that outlines how we support students with SEN, can be found by clicking on the link at the bottom of this page.

It is important that all students make good to outstanding progress in their learning and the Inclusion Team will track students who have identified learning needs or who may be vulnerable to underachievement. The team will work to support students to become independent learners and being successful in their learning. Interventions, for example, a literacy or numeracy group, are put in place if a student is at risk of falling behind.

In some cases, students will receive additional support to that which is offered in lessons. This may be because students have learning needs, speech, language and communication difficulties and/or social, emotional or behavioural needs that are a barrier to learning. In these circumstances, the Inclusion Team will provide additional support for those students in the form of literacy, numeracy or emotional and social interventions.

At times it may be appropriate for some students to be given additional support in registration periods or to be taken out of a linear subject for a limited period eg six weeks. In some cases, students may be disapplied from a linear subject so that they can access intervention programmes such as emotional literacy, reading and writing progress units, social skills workshops, behaviour modification programmes or numeracy support.

All interventions are evaluated for the impact they have had on students’ progress and personal development. Parent/carers will be consulted when additional support is put in place for a student and will be informed of the progress that students have made.

Tips and Hints when working with students who have additional needs

• Always praise effort and persistence by your child to complete their work and to get it right. The application of effort can be more important than getting the work right.
• Get students into good habits for working at home using the same work sapce, the same time each evening and providing some social time after work has been completed.
• Use ShowMyHomework to support extended learning tasks.
• Additional help can be found in the LRC every afternoon until 5.30pm.
• Reading with a student at home is an excellent way in which parents/carers or siblings can help develop understanding and reading skills
• Always check your child understands their work by asking questions about what they have been reading or studying
• Review exercise books and ask your child to recall the work they have done
• Practice common spelling mistakes or key words
• Never be reluctant to contact the Inclusion Team if you believe your child has a special educational need or needs social, emotional or behvaioural support.

A copy of the School’s SEN Information Report (SEN SIR) can be downloaded below:

St Mary’s SEN information Report Sept 2020

SMHS KS3 Catch Up Funding Impact Report Nov 20